Kuala Lumpur, or simply Kei El, as the Malays call it for short, is located in the southwestern part of the Malacca Peninsula, in a picturesque valley surrounded by mountains. This ultra-modern metropolis, spread over an area of more than 245 square kilometers, is the center of the economic and political life of the new “Asian Tiger”.
Kuala Lumpur is young and not as rich in sights as the ancient cities of China or Europe, but there is also where to take pictures and what to tell friends upon arrival. As soon as you arrive here, your attention will surely be attracted by the silhouette of the tallest building in the world ascending over the city - Petronas Twin Towers. These skyscrapers, somewhat similar to two ears of corn, were first inferior to the title of tallest building in the world, the 443-meter Sears Tower in Chicago. Then the ambitious designers of Petronas completed the steel spiers 73.5 meters long, and Petronas Twin Towers broke the world record. The area of all the premises of the building corresponds to 48 football fields. Petronas Towers differ not only in enormous size, but also in the complexity of the design. The engineer, while developing the project, heeded the advice of the Prime Minister of the country and gave the building a certain Islamic character. The fact is that the design of each tower is based on simple Islamic geometric shapes, which form an eight-pointed star of two squares. They say that this form symbolizes the important Islamic principle <Integrity - tightly interwoven unity, harmony, stability and rationalization>. Speaking of rationalization: in the Petronas towers there are offices, exhibition and conference rooms, an art gallery, a theater, a concert hall, where the Malaysian symphony orchestra, restaurants, as well as the main shopping center in Kuala Lumpur, called. At level 41 floors, a bridge hangs between the towers - an observation deck. From it, anyone can enjoy the panorama of the city. But only in the afternoon: the platform is open until 4 pm, admission to it is free, but the number of tickets is limited. Those who didn’t have to pay $ 2.
No less beautiful views can be seen from the observation deck of the Moscow TV tower. It is called Menara, its height is 421 meters, and it is the 4th tallest building in the world. When it was built, a beautiful tree turned out to be right on the edge of the foundation pit dug under the tower. A lot of money was spent to save him. And now, at the foot of the tower, real jungle is growing, and tourists are being transported to a saved tree.
To escape from the severity and uncompromising nature of the modern metropolis and feel the true atmosphere of Kuala Lumpur is best where the spirit of the first tin hunters still hangs. Chinatown still looks like yellowed antique postcards, and the descendants of the first Chinese adventurers still live here. Its borders are the streets of Jalan-Bandar, Jalan-Petaling and Jalan-Sultan. This is a place of unprecedented trading activity: almost around the clock, customers are offered an incredible amount of textiles, fruits, flowers, animals, medicinal herbs and potions. The chaos known as “trading” reaches its “boiling point” here in the evening, when the middle part of Jalan-Petaling Street is fenced off, turning into an open-air night market. Numerous merchants with mobile kitchens line up along the sidewalks. By the way, the quality of food in these makeshift sidewalk cafes is almost always excellent. Especially Chinatown will appeal to those who are passionate about the ideas of Feng Shui, loves old gizmos. Here, fortune tellers and healers using acupuncture welcome clients. At the end of a stormy street is the temple of Chang Si Shu Yuen, built in 1906. It is decorated with images of dragons and deities, and it is very revered by the inhabitants of this bustling area.
For the rest of Kuala Lumpur, the unconditional spiritual center and symbol of Islam is the national mosque Masjid Negara on Jalan-Sultan-Himshamuddin Street. The main hall of the mosque seats 8 thousand people and is especially full on Fridays, the holy day of Muslims. The mosque complex consists of a ribbed star-shaped dome and a minaret 73 m high. Eighteen corners of the dome symbolize 13 states of Malaysia and "5 pillars of Islam." Islamic visual traditions are interpreted here by modern architects.
The historical monuments of Kuala Lumpur are located in the area between the streets of Jalan Raj, Jalan Tun Perak and the river Klang. This is the last place in the city where the colonial buildings that remained after the British were preserved. All of them are created in the characteristic Moorish style by the architect A.K. Norman. These buildings are the Information Department, City Council, General Post Office. Tourists visiting Kuala Lumpur certainly try to photograph the Palace of the Sultan of Abdul Samad, where the Supreme Court is located. And it’s not at all out of love for Themis: it’s just that a very beautiful 40-meter clock tower crowned by a gilded dome rises above the palace. Across the road is the Royal Sports Club Selangor. Once it was a gathering place for the local colonial elite. The club still exists, but membership in it is very expensive, so it’s almost impossible to get there. Nearby is Merdeka Square or Independence Square. This is a former cricket field played by the British colonialists. It was here that on August 31, 1957, the British flag was lowered and the national flag of the independent federation of Malaysia was hoisted. By the way, on the highest flagpole in the world: its height is 100 meters.
Another English architect, Hubbock, is the author of several equally noteworthy architectural masterpieces of the city in a characteristic "Moorish" style. One of them is the railway station. Everyone who arrives in Kuala Lumpur by train suddenly finds themselves in front of a fabulous palace with many turrets, sharp spiers, minarets and semicircular arches. Not far from here you will find the southern entrance to Lake Gardens. This area covered by forest and flower carpet with an area of 70 hectares, without exaggeration, can be called the "green lungs" of the city. Here, on top of one of the hills, stands the snow-white parliament building.
Despite all its technocratic character, the city is buried in greenery. In the 80s of the last century, several parks were set up according to the projects of the best landscape designers of the world right in the city center, around a picturesque lake. Now Orchid Garden, Bird Garden, Butterfly Garden and Deer Garden are the most popular holiday destinations in the city. In the latter, by the way, you can see a very rare animal - a mouse deer, which is found only in this part of Southeast Asia. This so-called "deer" is the size of a small cat, but looks like a real one. Mouse deer, or "canchil" in Malaysian, often appears in Malay tales, playing the role of our Little Humpbacked Horse.